Coral Springs, FL/January 27, 2009 – CellAntenna Corporation announces that it is urging Congress and the Obama Administration not to transfer prisoners, currently being held in Guantanamo Bay suspected of terrorist ties, until Congress provides direction to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allow cell phone jamming by state and local law enforcement particularly in state prisons. Currently, law enforcement identifies illegal cell phones being smuggled to inmates in prisons as one of its most serious problems. If the Guantanamo Bay suspects were transferred into state prisons the chances of them obtaining illegal cell phones would pose a strong threat to national security. Presently, federal law does not allow local and state law enforcement to use jamming equipment in prisons to jam illegal cell phones. Even Federal prisons have problems obtaining jamming equipment due to restrictions.
Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) has said he would welcome the Guantanamo Bay suspects into prisons in his districts. Local and state law enforcement have stated that such a transfer under existing laws would hinder law enforcement and the chances of them communicating with outside operatives would increase.
Since 2005, CellAntenna Corporation has been leading a fight to change the laws prohibiting state and local law enforcement from using cell phone jamming equipment. CTIA – the Wireless Association representing cell phone providers has been opposing CellAntenna and law enforcement on this measure.
“Cell phone use by inmates behind bars is a huge problem that remains unresolved despite our efforts to the contrary,” said Howard Melamed, President and CEO of CellAntenna Corporation. “Inmates at state and local prisons are using cell phones to harass witnesses, continue their criminal activity behind bars. No one has gotten a handle on the problem and a resolution to solve it since jamming mobile phone signal is considered to be illegal under the 1934 Communications Act.”
“I can only imagine what will happen if a terrorist, awaiting trial is placed in a state run prison, gets a hold of a cell phone and coordinates bombings or even worse.”
The Communications Act of 1934 allows federal agencies to use jamming devices but prohibits local and state law enforcement from using such equipment. Originally, this prohibition was based on interference with “outside” communications by jamming equipment. With technological advances this is merely a pretext: cell phone jamming can now be directed and controlled as CellAntenna has demonstrated at correctional facilities in the United States. Currently, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX) have sponsored The Safe Prisons Communications Act would allow a state governor to seek permission from the FCC to operate cell phone jamming technology, which would make the smuggled phones useless. While the bill is too vague, Melamed and CellAntenna believe that until this legislation or similar legislation is adopted, the transfer of the Guantanamo Bay suspects would pose a grave threat to all Americans if these suspects came into possession of illegal cell phones.
About CellAntenna Corporation
Headquartered in Coral Springs, Florida, and offices in England and Poland, CellAntenna Corporation provides packaged, custom, and even rapid deployment cellular repeater systems for residential, commercial and government use. The company’s new products provide communication during disasters and where signal enhancement is required for saving lives. CellAntenna is involved in the limiting of cellular communication in prisons and in areas of high security. In addition, CellAntenna works on new and innovative applications for its systems and develops new, cutting-edge technologies. For more information, please visit: www.cellantenna.com.
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David E. Johnson
Strategic Vision
877-556-0004
[email protected]
